10 Things They Don’t Tell You About Working As A Health VA
Considering working as a health VA? Or perhaps you’re already dabbling in it?
When I first started working in the world of virtual assistance, I had no idea what I was doing. I jumped in the deep end and doggy-paddled until I figured it all out! That means there are a lot of lessons I learned the hard way.
If you want to skip learning everything the hard way, here are 10 things you’ll want to know about working as a virtual assistant in the world of wellness.
10 Things To Know About Working As A Health VA
Yes, you still need to niche
If you’ve ever been on my blog before, you knew this one was coming. To attract your ideal clients, you need to know who they are and what they want in a VA.
At first, this might be hard to narrow down. But the downsides of being a generalist in any service include:
Fewer clients overall
A lot of clients that don’t feel like a great fit (more on this later)
Charging less than what you’re potentially worth
Time-wasters and clients who ghost you
Doing work that you just really don’t enjoy so that you can pay the bills
If you want to build a business where you are in demand for your services and clients find you instead of vice versa - figure out your niche. This could be working with a specific type of client, working within a specific modality e.g. nutrition, and/or offering specific services.
You don’t have to compete with overseas VAs
This is something I see pop up a lot! Aussie VAs see overseas VAs charging $10/hour, and think there is no way they can compete with that pricing.
Well guess what - you don’t have to compete. You’re playing in a completely different ball game with different skills and abilities. All you need to do is make sure you’re attracting clients who are in the same game as you.
Make your value clear, and clients will happily pay you for that.
You get to choose what you offer
Think that you have to offer every service under the sun to succeed? Think again!
This business is your baby, and that means you get to craft it to run exactly how you want it to. That includes the services you offer.
Can’t stand replying to emails? Don’t offer inbox management.
Love writing blogs and feel meh about everything else? Make blog writing your core offer (this was my main offer for around 2 years, and I had plenty of clients!)
I give you full permission to only offer the services that light you up.
Time management is key
When you’re working with multiple clients at any given time, you need to manage your time effectively. What this looks like is different for each person - you might batch your tasks, or you might have a day of the week for each client.
But one thing I do want to add here - you don’t have to be a naturally organised and time-focused person to succeed as a VA.
I grew into better time management as my business grew. And yes, there are still some weeks where it goes out the window completely!
If you’re not a natural with calendar blocking, completing tasks in a set amount of time and the like, make sure you add in plenty of time buffers. This can be 30 min extra between tasks to catch up, an extra 1-2hrs at the end of the week, or even adding an extra couple of days onto your turnaround time for a client.
One great client can lead to a fully booked business
Even in this world of technology and ads everywhere, word of mouth is still the best way to book out your business. But that doesn’t mean you need 20 clients raving about you to succeed. In fact, it only takes one great client who loves your work to snowball into success.
This is why it’s critical to take care of your clients. When you take good care of them, they will refer to you whenever possible.
You will get clients that aren’t a fit – and that’s ok
This is something that surprises a lot of people when I first tell them about it! It is perfectly ok to start working with a client, and then figure out you’re not a good match.
Sometimes these issues can be avoided through clear communication and a good vetting process. But sometimes, people change, and what they want changes as well.
The good news is the more experienced you are and the more you hone in on your niche and offers, the less frequent this is. I still have maybe 1-2 clients per year that aren’t a fit. But that’s a big improvement on the early years of 5+ clients!
All I do is make sure we figure it out early so I can refer them elsewhere and free up that space for someone who is an amazing fit.
Communication can make or break relationships
As in any relationship, communication is critical for building and maintaining what you have with your clients. This includes things like sharing information, clarifying, giving feedback and even the legal contracts involved.
If you’re not a natural writer, this is something to be particularly careful with. You might like to read your emails out loud quickly before you send them to make sure they convey what you want them to.
Sometimes this can also come down to how people prefer to communicate. Personally, my business runs primarily off email and Zoom chats. If you try to call my phone, you won’t get an answer! The combo of email and Zoom are what work best for me.
Some clients love this, and some don’t like the boundary around phone calls. That’s fine - there are plenty of other service providers out there that offer phone communication.
All of my best-fit clients have been more than happy to send me messages, emails and jump on a Zoom call if we need to chat something more in-depth.
Work smart, not hard
You don’t have to work for 60 hours a week to be a great VA. In fact, I’d go as far as saying if you’re working 60 hours a week, you’re not going to be a great VA long-term unless something changes!
To work smart, you want to ask yourself questions like:
Am I charging a price that is fair to myself as well as my clients?
What can I streamline? Are there things I’m doing the same way over and over that can be made easier and quicker?
Where is time being wasted or not put to good use?
Am I getting enough information and clarity out of clients the first time around, or am I getting stuck in constant back-and-forth emails?
Is there anything in my own business that holds me back or drains my time and energy?
Be honest with yourself about where you can improve. Your business will reward you in the long run!
You can build a sustainable business – if you’re smart about it
I’m going to be honest here - there are a lot of VAs that struggle. They struggle to find clients, they struggle to keep clients, and they struggle to make ends meet and pay bills.
I don’t say this to scare you off. In fact, I’m telling you this so that you aren’t one of those VAs!
You can absolutely build a sustainable business as a health VA. You can earn consistent income, and you can earn a comfortable full-time wage if that’s your goal. But you do need to be smart about it.
That means:
Attracting high-quality clients who value you
Charging your worth
Setting boundaries with clients and with yourself
If you find yourself burning out or hitting overwhelm, it will come back to one or more of these three.
You don’t have to go it alone
Running your own business can feel isolating, particularly if you’re the only one in it. But just because you’re a solo VA doesn’t mean that you need to do everything by yourself.
For long-term sustainability and sanity, you need to have others in your corner. This could include:
Other VAs and service providers you can rant to when things get rough
People you can outsource tasks to, particularly those that you don’t enjoy
A coach or mentor to keep you focused and growing
You might be self-employed, but that doesn’t mean the entire burden falls on you. Make sure you share it with others from time to time.
Is building a side hustle or career as a health VA your goal?
My new Health VA Crash Course might be exactly what you need to get started!
Over 6 weeks, you’ll learn how to:
Set up a business as a health virtual assistant
Attract amazing clients who rave about you and refer others your way
Offer your unique skillset across areas including admin, marketing, social media, blogging, customer service and more
Price yourself so that you don’t end up burning out
Use some of the best VA tools on the market (while avoiding the worst!)
Continue to learn and grow so you can increase your value and income long-term!
